My first attempt, honestly the dough kinda felt like pizza dough during the prep phase and kneading but I carried on and proofed for 12 hours.
Is it how I prepared and shaped it, did I use my starter at the wrong phase? Idk what’s happening here.
by Traditional_Bar_5465
10 Comments
Brand new starter is 8 days old, I used 100g starter + 500g bread flower + 1 cup tap water + 10g salt. Rested 4 hours with some kneading in first 2 hours every 30 min. Refrigerated 12 hours, then baked 450.
Starter – feeding every 24 hours 1:1:1 with whole wheat and bread flour every other day (I’m just making it all up at this point, wasn’t sure which flour was best)
I’m wondering if maybe my starter wasn’t ready 🥲
Not an expert – but I was told to avoid tap water as the chlorine has a negative effect on the yeast.
Under proofed!
No gummy bottom!
Hi. It’s a very good try. Well done.
Typically your starter should be doubling in 4 to 6 hours before using it for baking.
There are several phases to developing your starter.
In the first there is a rapid reaction as bacteria fight for supreacy create a false fermentation. That finally subsides and creates a more acidic environment that suits yeast and ‘good’ bacteria better. It needs feeding once a day.
In the next phase the activity is useually not evident but the culture goes flat and more liquid. Things are still happening in the murky depths so it still needs feeding daily.
In the last phase the character of your starter will change becoming a creamy unctious texture with small bubbles evident. The yeast cells are multiplying abd devloping CO2. With repeat feeds the fermentation will become stronger. However different flours will have different rise. Whole grain flours typically will rise less than ordinary flour because of the bran content that inhibits the ferment and creates a coarse fibrous matrix that allows gas to escape. For this reason most yeast starters will have a high, strong white bread flour content. In the early stages of this phase feed twice daily. Start to jote how pong it takes to double, triple and peak. For this is the way you gauge the vigour of your starter.
Mix her thoroughly, put 15 g in a fresh jar with scew down lid. Feed 1:1:1 preferably with a flour mix of 80% strong white bread flour and 20 % whole wheat or rye. Mark level scrape down inside of jar. Replace lid and allow to ferment on counter. Note time it takes to double, triple and peak (starts to fall). Repeat feed when falling or at 12 hrs. Once she is doubling in around 4 hrs youre good to go.
I keep 45 g in the fridge. When I want to bake I pull it out let it warm up before feeding it 1:1:1 this gives me my levain and 15g surplus to feed 1:1:1 to become my new starter. It lives in the fridge till needed
There is a great variatio in flour characteristics from type and brand
FLOURS
• AP flours: generally lower in the protien scale and softer. As a result lower gluten formation, less shapability and loer hydration factor. However tebds to make fluffier texture
• strong white bread flour: high protien 12 to 15 % with high gluten formation also high hydration factors. High gluten formation leads to good shaping
• whole grain flours: whole wheat and Rye particularly. High hydration factor and adds additional nutrion factors and yeast strains. Tends envigorate levain but bran flakes are sharp and lacerate the forming gluten creating holes and loss of gas.
• ancient whole grain: add taste and nutrition but tend to have lower protein and therefore reduced gluten formstion and hydration.
Your recipe appears sound but will depend on your flour chiice.
Recipe:
Terms.
• Bakers pecentage; the total weight of flour(levain and bulk flour) is 100%
• Starter; a cultivation of the natural wild yeasts and bacteria in flour and water
• Levain; the weight of active and vigorous stsrter to activate a the dough in your
The general proportions of a recipe
• Starter, 20 %
• Salt, 2%
• Water, depends on flour and desired outcome but a good starting point is 65%
My go to recipe.
Starter: 125 grams ( stong white bread flour 80: Whole wheat or Rye 20%; 600g of SWBF or a mixture of flours (necessitating different hydration) 13g salt and 400g water
Phases:
• Mixing dough: The start of bulk fermentation.
This is basic method only put dry ingredients in bowl and combine. Add water and levain stir with stiff spoon or hand until all dry flour is combined. At this stage you have a chance to adjust your hydration to suit the flour but, over the next hour or two the flour will absorb more of the free fluids. So, aim for stickier than drier. I work the dough at this stage to a ensure that the dough is binding as a cohesive ‘ball’. Now the dough needs to rest.
Fermentation is a continuous process. Usually split in two. Bulk fermenttion is when multiple loaves are fermented together in one batch. Then proofing after the ‘ bulk ‘ has been reduced to individual loaves and shaped. Often times the proofing is done in refridgerated conditions to refine baking process. Especially with sourdough.
It is important to adjust the point at which the one finishes and the other starts. There needs tp be just enough ‘food’ to sustain the yeast through to baking. This is usually guaged by the % rise in volume of the raw dough. The longer the intended proofing the lower the % age rise. There are several other ways to guage the curtailment point tho.
My preferred rise is about 75%. I measure the volume of the just mixed dough and then finish the ferment in a bowl marked to double that.
Forming gluten:
Several sets of folding and stretching and folding. Starts after a minimum rest of 1 hour autolyse(water absorbtion).
•  simple bowl or counter stretch:
The dough will tend to stick to the surface. With wetted fingers tease up the far edge of the dough and lift up as far as it will without tearing, gently. Pull across to other side and lower down to seal on top. Twist 90° and repeat two or three times. When the dough resists, won’t lift, it is time to rest minimum 1/2hr to allow dough to relax. Repeat 3 to four times at 1/2 hour intervals
• Coil fold: bowl or counter. Tease wetted fingers in under edges of dough both sides, lift gently and allow self weight to draw down dough. Drop the near edge down ‘coiling’ the remaining bulk over to the other side. Repeat until the dough will not stretch under own weight. Time to rest dough . Three to four sets in all.
• Lift slap fold: on the counter , strectch dough to about 1″ thick. Reach over with wetted fingers and tease under corners. Lift up ajd across whole swinging the dough away so the dropping free edge slaps down then fold over the held corners and tap down. Repeat 3 to 4 times. Until no more stretch. Repeat sets at 1/2 hour intervals.
These folds are mix and match 3 to 4 sets combined total.
• Letter fold: like laminating; part of shaping process. Stretch dough out to roughly 1/2 ” thick rectangle. Lift far edge over to third point then fold other edge over. Tightly roll dough and pul tuck corners under bulk of dough to tension the boule. Lift and place in prepared banetton ready to proof after a rest of a minimum of 1/2 hour
Sorry to bombard you with so much.
Hope it is of help
Happy baking
I make a levain from my starter the night before I mix my dough. Also, are you folding and turning your dough during the bulk rise?
You forgot to insert a sweet filling, I’d recommend plum jam
You have a new and weak starter and you only bulked for 4 hours.
How old is your starter? Before mine was more mature I had big air pockets – but as it got older and more mature my crumb started looking a lot better. For a first attempt I think that looks pretty good. How does it taste?? I don’t think you did anything wrong, honestly.
If you want some great guides take a look at The Perfect Loaf web page – for your next bake maybe try the Beginners Loaf recipe. It is very forgiving and a great way to practice.
I would also watch the Claire Saffitz sourdough recipe video on youtube if you want some good visuals on the different steps – that really helped me on my first loaves.
And if your starter is pretty young then just keep feeding it (I did twice a day for 2 months) and keep practicing!
Good luck!
Summary of what went sideways:
1) Too little water in the recipe. If US, one cup of water is 240g. You need 325g (325 ml) – 340g (340 ml).
2) Very young starter, will need longer to bulk ferment. Keep your process, but after the knead/stretch and folds are done, leave your dough until you see 60-75% growth in the dough. Might be 8 hours but depends on room temperature where you are fermenting.
That’s it. Easy fixes 😀